South Africa’s government criticised on Sunday the imposition of new sanctions on President Robert Mugabe and his allies, especially with talks ongoing to try to resolve the crisis in Zimbabwe.
”For us, it is difficult to understand the objectives of new sanctions,” Deputy Foreign Minister Aziz Pahad said.
”The Zimbabweans are meeting, let them sort out what they want for their future. We should not allow outside interference,” he told a press conference.
The United States and the European Union have broadened sanctions on Mugabe and his closest aides, drawing accusations such moves could derail the negotiations under way in Pretoria.
President Thabo Mbeki spoke before Pahad but refused to be drawn on the issue of sanctions, saying only that talks were continuing and that his government wanted a negotiated settlement as soon as possible.
Mugabe, the veteran 84-year old who has ruled Zimbabwe since it gained independence from Britain in 1980, shook hands on Monday with bitter rival Morgan Tsvangirai and agreed to negotiate a settlement to the political crisis.
Mugabe was re-elected for a sixth term last month after Tsvangirai pulled out of a run-off second round election, citing a campaign of intimidation and violence against his supporters that had killed dozens and injured thousands.
The ruling Zanu-PF party says Mugabe’s re-election unopposed in the June 27 run-off must be recognised for the talks to succeed.
Tsvangirai pushed Mugabe into second place in the first round of voting on March 29 but failed to win enough votes to secure outright victory, according to the official results.
He believes the outcome of the March ballot should be the starting point for any negotiations on power-sharing and his camp has been advocating a transitional government, with a view to fresh elections.
Removing zeros
Zimbabwe’s bank chief plans new currency reforms — removing ”more zeros” from the plummeting Zimbabwe dollar and raising the limit on cash withdrawals — to tackle the country’s runaway inflation and cash shortages, state media reported on Sunday.
Previous currency reforms have failed to tame Zimbabwe’s inflation — officially pegged at 2,2-million percent a year but estimated by independent analysts to be closer to 12,5-million percent. It also has become virtually impossible to get access to cash as the country’s economic collapse worsens.
Authorities last week released a new Z$100-billion bank note.
By Sunday it was not enough even to buy a scarce loaf of bread in what has become one of the world’s most expensive — and impoverished — countries.
The Sunday Mail, a government mouthpiece, reported that central bank reserve governor Gideon Gono told an agricultural show on Saturday he would introduce the new measures in the coming days to make sure cash shortages are a ”thing of the past”. – AFP, Sapa-AP